Home     Resources     Local News     Local History    Tourism     Real Estate     Our Communities
 
REPORTS

REPORT ONE: The expense of maintaining local control.

REPORT TWO: Income Tax vs Property Tax for School Funding

REPORT THREE: If you pay it they will spend.

REPORT FOUR: Proposed reform legislation

REPORT FIVE: Alternative solutions to education finance reform

STATS & TABLES

The $200,000 Club: Illinois' highest paid public school employees

DeKalb County's Top 50: highest paid local public school employees

DeKalb County School Unit Comparisons

Comparing Tax Bills: How DeKalb County stacks up with other communities.

Comparing Illinois: State by State Individual Income Taxes

Comparing Illinois: State by State Corporate Income Taxes

Comparing Illinois: State by State Sales Taxes

Comparing Illinois: State by State Gasoline Taxes

Follow The Money: Illinois' Top Campaign Contributors

YOUR FEEDBACK

READERS' COMMENTS

 

 

    
 School Finance Reform

 

Comparing Illinois
 State Individual Income Taxes

State Individual Income Taxes
(Tax rates for tax year 2003 -- as of January 1, 2003)
                                       
                                         
  ---Tax Rates---   # of --Income Brackets--   ---Personal Exemption--- Federal Tax
State Low   High     Brackets Low     High       Single   Married   Child   Ded.
ALABAMA 2.00   5.00     3 500 (b)   3,000 (b)     1,500   3,000   300   *
ALASKA NONE                                
ARIZONA 2.87   5.04     5 10,000 (b)   150,000 (b)     2,100   4,200   2,300    
ARKANSAS 1.00   6.50 (e)   6 2,999     25,000       20 (c) 40 (c) 20 (c)  
CALIFORNIA (a) 1.00   9.30     6 5,834 (b)   38,921 (b)     80 (c) 160 (c) 251 (c)  
COLORADO 4.63         1   -----Flat rate-----       None            
CONNECTICUT 3.00   4.50     2 10,000 (b)   10,000 (b)     12,500 (f) 24,000 (f) 0    
DELAWARE 2.20   5.95     7 5,000     60,000       110 (c) 220 (c) 110 (c)  
FLORIDA NONE                                
GEORGIA 1.00   6.00     6 750 (g)   7,000 (g)     2,700   5,400   2,700    
HAWAII (h) 1.40   8.25     8 2,000 (b)   40,000 (b)     1,040   2,080   1,040    
IDAHO 1.60   7.80     8 1,087 (h)   21,730 (h)     3,000 (d) 6,000 (d) 3,000 (d)  
ILLINOIS 3.00         1   -----Flat rate-----       2,000   4,000   2,000    
INDIANA 3.40         1   -----Flat rate-----       1,000   2,000   1,000    
IOWA (a) 0.36   8.98     9 1,211     54,495       40 (c) 80 (c) 40 (c) *
KANSAS 3.50   6.45     3 15,000 (b)   30,000 (b)     2,250   4,500   2,250    
KENTUCKY 2.00   6.00     5 3,000     8,000       20 (c) 40 (c) 20 (c)  
LOUISIANA 2.00   6.00     3 10,000 (b)   50,000 (b)     4,500 (i) 9,000 (i) 1,000 (i) *
MAINE (a) (k) 2.00   8.50     4 4,200 (b)   16,700 (b)     4,700   7,850   1,000    
MARYLAND (aa) 2.00   4.75     4 1,000     3,000       2,400   4,800   2,400    
MASSACHUSETTS 5.00         1   -----Flat rate-----       4,400   8,800   1,000    
MICHIGAN (a) 4.00 (j)       1   -----Flat rate-----       3,000   6,000   3,000    
MINNESOTA (a) 5.35   7.85     3 18,710 (k)   61,461 (k)     3,000 (d) 6,000 (d) 3,000 (d)  
MISSISSIPPI 3.00   5.00     3 5,000     10,000       6,000   12,000   1,500    
MISSOURI 1.50   6.00     10 1,000     9,000       2,100   4,200   2,100   * (s)
MONTANA (a) 2.00   11.00     10 2,200     75,400       1,720   3,440   1,720   *
NEBRASKA (a) 2.56   6.84     4 2,400 (l)   26,500 (l)     94 (c) 188 (c) 94 (c)  
NEVADA NONE                                
NEW HAMPSHIRE LIMITED                                      
NEW JERSEY 1.40   6.37     6 20,000 (m)   75,000 (m)     1,000   2,000   1,500    
NEW MEXICO 1.70   8.20     7 5,500 (n)   65,000 (n)     3,000 (d) 6,000 (d) 3,000 (d)  
NEW YORK 4.00   6.85     5 8,000 (b)   20,000 (b)     0   0   1,000    
NORTH CAROLINA 6.00   8.25     4 12,750 (o)   120,000 (o)     3,000 (d) 6,000 (d) 3,000 (d)  
NORTH DAKOTA 2.10   5.54 (p)   5 27,050 (p)   297,350 (p)     3,000 (d) 6,000 (d) 3,000 (d) (p)
OHIO (a) 0.743   7.50 (q)   9 5,000     200,000       1,200 (q) 2,400 (q) 1,200 (q)  
OKLAHOMA 0.50   7.00 (r)   8 1,000     10,000       1,000   2,000   1,000   * (r)
OREGON (a) 5.00   9.00     3 2,500 (b)   6,250 (b)     145 (c) 290 (c) 145 (c) * (s)
PENNSYLVANIA 2.80         1   -----Flat rate-----       None  
RHODE ISLAND XXX           ---                    
SOUTH CAROLINA (a) 2.50   7.00     6 2,400     12,000       3,000 (d) 6,000 (d) 3,000 (d)  
SOUTH DAKOTA No State Income Tax                                                 
TENNESSEE LIMITED                                      
TEXAS NONE                                
UTAH 2.30   7.00     6 863 (b)   4,313 (b)     2,250 (d) 4,500 (d) 2,250 (d) * (u)
VERMONT 3.60   9.50     5 27,950     307,050       3000 (d) 6000 (d) 3000 (d)  
VIRGINIA 2.00   5.75     4 3,000     17,000       800   1,600   800    
WASHINGTON NONE                                
WEST VIRGINIA 3.00   6.50     5 10,000     60,000       2,000   4,000   2,000    
WISCONSIN 4.60   6.75 (w)   4 8,280     124,200       700   1,400   400    
WYOMING NONE                                
                                         
DIST. OF COLUMBIA 4.50   8.70 (x)   3 10,000     40,000       1,370   2,740   1,370    
                                     
                                   
Source: The Federation of Tax Administrators from various sources.                        
Text Box: (a) Eight states have statutory provision for automatic adjustment of tax brackets, personal exemption or standard deductions to the rate of inflation. Arkansas, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio indexes the personal exemption amounts only. (b) For joint returns, the taxes are twice the tax imposed on half the income. (c) tax credits. (d) These states allow personal exemption or standard deductions as provided in the IRC. Utah allows a personal exemption equal to three-fourths the federal exemptions. (e) A special tax table is available for low income taxpayers reducing their tax payments. (f) Combined personal exemptions and standard deduction. An additional tax credit is allowed ranging from 75% to 0% based on state adjusted gross income. Exemption amounts are phased out for higher income taxpayers until they are eliminated for households earning over $54,500. (g) The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married households filing separately, the same rates apply to income brackets ranging from $500 to $5,000; and the income brackets range from $1,000 to $10,000 for joint filers. (h) For joint returns, the tax is twice the tax imposed on half the income. A $10 filing tax is charge for each return and a $15 credit is allowed for each exemption. (i) Combined personal exemption and standard deduction. (j) Tax rate scheduled to decrease to 3.9% for tax years after 2003. (k) The tax brackets reported are for single individual. For married couples filing jointly, the same rates apply for income under $27,350 to over $108,661. (l) The tax brackets reported are for single individual. For married couples filing jointly, the same rates apply for income under $4,000 to over $46,750. (m) The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married couples filing jointly, the same rates apply for income under $20,000 to over $150,000. (n) The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married couples filing jointly, the same rates apply for income under $8,000 to over $100,000. Married households filing separately pay the tax imposed on half the income. (o) The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married taxpayers, the same rates apply to income brackets ranging from $21,250 to $200,000. Lower exemption amounts allowed for high income taxpayers. Tax rate scheduled to decrease after tax year 2003. (p) Rates reported are for short form filers. Long form filers rates range from 2.67% for income under $3,000 to 12% over $50,000. Long form filers only can deduct federal income taxes. An additional $300 personal exemption is allowed for joint returns or unmarried head of households. (q) Plus an additional $20 per exemption tax credit. Rate reported are for tax year 2002, the 2003 rates will not be determined until July, 2003. (r) The rate range reported is for single persons not deducting federal income tax. For married persons filing jointly, the same rates apply to income brackets ranging from $2,000 to $21,000. Separate schedules, with rates ranging from 0.5% to 10%, apply to taxpayers deducting federal income taxes. (s) Deduction is limited to $10,000 for joint returns and $5,000 for individuals in Missouri and to $5,000 in Oregon. (t) Federal Tax Liability prior to the enactment of Economic Growth and Tax Relief Act of 2001. (u) One half of the federal income taxes are deductible. (v) The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married couples filing jointly, the same rates apply for income under $46,700 to over $307,050. (w) The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married taxpayers, the same rates apply to income brackets ranging from $11,040 to $165,600. An additional $250 exemption is provided for each taxpayer or spouse age 65 or over. (x) Tax rate decreases are scheduled for tax years 2004.